Appeal No. 1997-3340 Page 10
Application No. 08/323,500
engaging means, clamping means, inner, central and outer mounting blocks as
one piece, meanwhile, applicant forms these means and blocks as separate pieces
and [attaches] them together.
It is common knowledge in the art to change one piece to multiple pieces
and [attach] them together in order to facilitate the manufacturing process. See,
e.g., In re Larson, 144 USPQ 347 (CCPA 1965).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the
time the invention was made to form the biasing means, engaging means,
clamping means, inner, central and outer mounting blocks of [the Ogino
abstract] as different pieces and [attach] them together in order to facilitate the
manufacturing process as suggested by common knowledge in the art.
With regard to claims 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 14-17, 20-28, 32, 34-38 and 40, as pointed out by
appellant (brief, pages 28 and 29), the modification proposed by the examiner would not
overcome the above-noted deficiencies of the Ogino abstract. Accordingly, we shall not sustain
the examiner's rejection of these claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103.
With regard to independent claim 10, appellant (brief, pages 29 and 30) argues that the
examiner has failed to provide any explanation of why the specific structural elements
connected as recited in claim 10 would be the result of the examiner's proposed modification
and urges that
any assemblage of components for the [Ogino abstract] would . . . not have
inner and outer blocks coupled together via a clamping member and surrounding
a central block coupled to an engaging member.
We interpret appellant's argument as being directed to the recitation in claim 10 of "a clamp
member mounted to said inner and outer mounting blocks and an engaging member mounted to
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